One Day at a Time
by Tawnya Kisaragi
Summary: A cute OTP prompt list that found it's way onto my tumblr dash and screamed "Solkat" quite loudly in my ear. Because apparently I'm not working on enough as it is and need to do more Homestuck.
1. Week One

A/N: Don't expect timeline consistency or any major continuity. Anything significant will noted along the way.

The original list belongs to ericandy (now hipster-kanaya). Also, because my current work schedule only allows me to post once or twice a week, each "chapter" will contain seven days worth of prompts so that I'm not spamming content more than I already do.

* * *

**1. Holding Hands**

It had only been three weeks. It felt like three sweeps. Aradia was dead and by the time Karkat had actually found Sollux amid the wreckage of whatever the hell had happened, the psionic had become practically catatonic. He was easily pushed this way and that, but without direct outside intervention, Sollux sat and stared at nothing, so still that a couple times Karkat had been afraid the other had stopped breathing in his despondency. He could be triggered into something of a response: pushed into a running shower, Sollux had slowly began washing away the blood and dirt even if he never had the sense to turn the water back off, get out, and dry himself. If his hand was wrapped around a utensil, he'd eat in a completely robotic manner without care for temperature, texture, or taste. All movement that he made was jerky, hesitant, as if he was expecting some crippling blow to fall for having the audacity to act autonomously. Like he was going to break under the slightest of pressures.

It was not the best way to actually meet a person for the first time.

Still, the fact remained that in a time of desperate need, Sollux had placed his trust in Karkat and that wasn't something to be lightly dismissed. Not by Karkat, at least. So despite the fact that he bitched every step of the way, dragging the other troll around from task to task and trying to figure out how to make him react to _something_, he kept at it. Exhausting as it was to take care of two lusii, to constantly wonder if he was actually helping with anything by trying to keep the other alive and well, essentially beating his head against a brick wall for all the response he got, he didn't stop. Karkat refused to think of it as pity, because it wasn't pity that kept him there; it was sheer stubbornness. It became something of a personal challenge, to try and heal something so obviously damaged and weak. He was going to make Sollux better, if only so that he could yell at the other for being such a pain in the ass in the first place.

It had only been three weeks, but it felt like so very much longer. Haggard, heart-sore, and determination running low, Karkat sighed and made to stand. It was too much of a pain to get even Sollux's skinny frame in and out of the sopor every single day, so most of their time was spent in a pile. Sollux was mostly buried in it while Karkat remained slightly off to the side, close enough to note if anything happened, but not so close as to be mistaken for having pale intentions. He was only getting up to get something to drink when he felt cool fingers suddenly wrap tightly around his wrist, halting his movement. The sudden touch scared the hell out of him, though he didn't do much more than freeze. He stared at the grip on his wrist, slowly following it back to the owner, and found Sollux looking at him. Actually _looking_ at _him_, heterochromatic eyes brighter than had been seen to date.

"Stay with me."

The words were so quiet, Karkat doubted whether he'd actually heard them in the first place or not. He panicked when the hold slackened, instantly entwining their hands together and squeezing back, and was indescribably relieved to feel fingers curl securely against his.

"Not going anywhere," he replied just as softly, feeling something twist in his chest when the corners of Sollux's mouth twitched and his eyes closed without having to be shut. Within minutes, the other was asleep of his own volition and peacefully so for the first time since this whole mess began. Karkat sighed, a weight suddenly lifted from his shoulders, allowing him to breathe.

It was still going to take a lot of time and effort to get his friend back on his feet. But that hand holding on to his said the worst was finally over.

**2. Cuddling Somewhere**

It wasn't all that often anymore that Karkat went sleepless, but when the insomnia hit, it hit hard. In the past four days, he'd had maybe a total of twelve hours of sleep. It never failed that just as soon as he'd start to drift off, something would startle him back awake. Sollux had offered advice, all the tricks he used to get sleep when his mind refused to slow down, music, meditation, and even the tea Aradia made from little white and pale purple flowers. Nothing saved Karkat from staring blankly at a wall, waiting for sleep to come. It never did no matter how exhausted he felt. He just had to deal with it until whatever had triggered the insomnia worked its way out of his system.

Needless to say, he was wearing a bit thin on the fifth day when somewhere around two in the afternoon, Sollux trundled sleepily over to the couch Karkat was on and forcibly insinuated himself behind his mate. He'd cleaned up and dressed in a pair of house pants, though his hair was still sticking up oddly from slime residue. Karkat squawked and railed (which was completely ignored) as he was pushed this way and that until the psionic was comfortable, again when his husktop was taken away, and finally ended with a yelp as he was forced to lay back against his new, bonier pillow.

"Quit fussing like a whiny wiggler," Sollux chided, words slurring together in his own tiredness. "Jesus Christ, no wonder you can't sleep. Even your nubs are all knotted up."

The well deserved "fuck you" was all set to be delivered at maximum volume when said nubs became the unwanted, but ultimately appreciated, center of attention. Long, cool fingers massaged around the base of Karkat's horns, firm enough for the pressure to mean something without hurting. Karkat made the most embarrassing little chirrup sounds as those talented fingers slowly worked across the rest of his scalp before kneading down his neck and across his shoulders. The whole affair lasted maybe fifteen minutes, ending when Sollux leaned forward and kissed the back of his neck, nuzzling the skin there absently afterward. After a couple minutes, it became obvious the idiot had fallen back asleep, curled tightly around Karkat like he was a grubtoy.

Even though he was most definitely unconscious, Sollux kept nuzzling. When Karkat gave up trying to get away and nuzzled back, Sollux began to purr, the gentle rumble radiating from one chest through the other. The sound was as soothing as the touch had been, and soon, Karkat found himself snuggling back into the embrace, head tipped a bit so that he could also hear the strong thump of his matesprit's blood pusher. Their breathing patterns synced up and another little, otherwise unnoticed stress eased.

At length, Karkat completely stretched out, letting himself relax against the other while trading nuzzles, holding the arms that held him securely. He still didn't find his own rest until much later. He had to admit, though, that cuddling with his mate was a much better way to spend his time.

**3. Gaming/Watching a Movie**

When he got fed up with the world, there was one specific game Sollux reached for. It was an old hack and slash type that didn't translate well onto a high definition television, had to be played on its original release console, and frankly left Karkat bored to tears because literally the only thing that happened was the mashing of the attack button until the super attack became available, using said super attack, and then repeating. For sixty-some odd fucking levels, where upon the only thing that truly changed was the scenery and the rate at which various incarnations of the same enemy would spawn from their generators (the actual term used by the game's tutorial). And sure, there was shit to collect to open up other pathways and little side quest things to accomplish that made fighting bosses easier, but Sollux knew every secret passage, special power-up, and dusty, corpse-filled-corner of every map. By the time any of it mattered, his character was so overpowered, the game was even less of a challenge.

More disturbing than the mindless repetition, however, was the fact that Sollux remained completely still when he was playing it. He didn't jerk the controller around, twisting and snarling like his movement would help his overpowered go-kart racing sim power slide through a sharp turn he never made anyway. He didn't stick his tongue out and murmur to himself, carefully tapping at the controls as he moved the little blue ball with eyes through various puzzles. There was no cackling when a stage was won, or swearing when he was gang-rushed. Even character death (which still happened every once in a great while) meant nothing when it was usually a controller slamming event.

It took sweeps before Karkat realized that being mindless _was_ the point. The game was interactive enough that Sollux's attention would focus, but not so difficult it would leave him further aggravated. It took even longer to realize that when Sollux was still, his thoughts were still, giving him a much needed disconnect from the world around him. It was impossible to over-think what he was doing, which meant he didn't really have to think at all. The hours he spent slaying pixels were some of the calmest moments in his life precisely because he didn't have to entertain his own think-pan.

Depending on the availability of time to actually play, completing said game usually took a week. Sollux would then wrap everything back up and put it once more into storage before meekly curling up beside Karkat, all apologies and lovey noises for basically ignoring his matesprit in the mean time. The patience and understanding were then repaid by a week's worth of comment-free romcom watching.

**4. On a Date**

Karkat groaned, covered his face with his hands, and wished desperately to be swallowed by the ground. One date. That's all he wanted. One simple, regular, boring old date. Because he'd never been on one. Because he was a die-hard romantic. Because somehow the notion that it wasn't a real matespritship without at least one date being involved had squirmed into his think-pan and eaten the portions that regulated common sense and good judgment. The fact that the plan was "perfect" really should have been his first clue that he'd been doomed to failure. Dinner reservations at a nice restaurant, tickets to a movie afterwards, a walk through the park on the way home, and a long, hot pailing session once they got there. Simple, within their means, and local. What the hell was there to go wrong? Everything was apparently the answer.

To begin with, the restaurant lost their reservation. Despite being an off night and empty tables fully visible, they were put on a waiting list, which left them waiting idiotically for almost twenty minutes. Sollux suggested going somewhere else, which would have been the smart thing to do, but Karkat had gotten stubborn about his perfect plan and insisted they wait it out. Once settled, things seemed to pick back up. There were attended to quickly, their order taken with a smile, and food appeared within a reasonable amount of time. Only it wasn't their food. Twice. When their order actually came up, it was cold. The waiter was distinctly unhappy about being sent back a third time, and after finally delivering the correct meal hot, disappeared. A tirade to a manager got most of the ticket comped, though there was no doubt that they weren't welcome back again.

Despite planning for extra time between events, the fiasco that was dinner made them late for the movie. The theater would neither refund nor apply the already purchased tickets towards another showering. They picked another movie neither of them had heard or seen anything about because it was the only one still available. About halfway through, they ended up walking out anyway, because it was just that bad. The rumble of thunder as they left the theater was simply spiteful. Needless to say, they were completely drenched by the time they got back to their hive. And the electricity was out, which was an absolutely perfect way to end the shitty night.

"I'm sorry," Karkat mumbled.

"For what?" Sollux asked, sounding genuinely confused.

"For what?! For making you play along with this ridiculous idea! I should have—" He was cut off with a kiss.

"Last time I checked, a date was about spending time with a person you liked. Yeah, dinner was fucked up, the movie was horrible, and it sucked coming back to a cold hive when already cold and wet. But doesn't everything go wrong on a first date in your stupid romcoms anyway? Besides," he grinned, nuzzling close, "we don't have to wait so many fictional days to figure out our feelings, have a misunderstanding, break up, regret breaking up, stop a binding ceremony to confess what we figured out at the start and _then_ get a happy ending. We can skip straight to the end." There was another, slower, more intense kiss. "I pity the ever-living fuck out of you, Karkat Vantas. And one lousy night out with you isn't going to change that. Two, maybe, but definitely not one…"  
Karkat returned the kiss, then kicked his mate off the couch.

**5. Kissing**

Karkat was a born fighter. His Knight class and Threshecutioner dream were well earned. Final maturation gave him the height, the build, and the muscle to follow through with the hot temper and stubborn pride that had always been his. His darkening skin bore a vast network of scars, a testament to how rough his life had already been. That a new scar was rarely added only proved how hard he'd become.

His mouth, however, was still soft, almost achingly vulnerable. The dichotomy was jarring sometimes, considering the kind of language that could be spewed forth at any given moment, vitriolic and sharp. One lip-curling snarl was known to send people scattering. But when Sollux kissed him, even in the heat of passion, there was something gentle about the action, warm and inviting when nothing else was or could be. Hands calloused from weapon handling were possessive things, always crawling across Sollux's skin like they had to touch everything all at once while claws marked territory, just hard enough to score without actively damaging. His still shorter, but much heavier body could easily manipulate Sollux's own lanky frame in any manner desired. The conflict in their personalities could have very easily lead them to kismesissitude instead of matespritship and probably would have if the tender heart shielded by all that aggressive defensiveness hadn't found an outlet.

And what a wonderful outlet it was, to feel lips tremble and push, a warm tongue press against a pulse point, and sharp teeth ghost along the most defenseless of places without fear because everything Karkat did with his mouth when he wasn't speaking was gloriously, deliriously soft and gentle and exposed. Every kiss given sought reassurance while every kiss received was treated as if it was their last. That alone ensured Sollux kissed his mate often.

**6. Wearing Each Other's Clothes**

The first time it happened, it was an accident. Despite being washed separately, all their clothes ended up piled together. Sollux had been running late and simply grabbed the first shirt he managed to lay a hand on. By the time he realized it wasn't his, there was nothing to do about it except push the sleeves up and carry on.

The second time it happened, it was a convenience. Old habits were hard to break and after spending so long doing everything he could to keep his hemo-anonymity, Karkat never thought twice about owning all long sleeved shirts. Not until the one summer, hottest on record, that the air conditioning broke, at least. Going completely shirtless like Sollux did would have been the smarter idea, except it left him feeling exposed and edgy. So he pulled on one of his mate's shirts. The largest still pulled tightly across his shoulders, but for Karkat, it was better than nothing.

The third time it happened, it was on purpose. Sollux managed to catch the creeping crud that had been circulating recently. Fevers, chills, nausea, racking cough, and because of his psionics on top of stuffed sinuses, a relentless migraine that fed right back into all the other symptoms. Karkat tried to stay close because the other only ever seemd to sleep well when he was there, but it wasn't practical for him to be there all the time. So in the times he had to be away, Karkat stuffed his matesprit into one of his shirts to act as a substitute comfort object. When Karkat then came down with the exact same affliction, Sollux returned the gesture.

After that, both made sure they had clothes that fit each other.

**7. Cosplaying (Humanstuck)**

"For fuck's sake, KK. Quit squirming."

"It itches."

"Of course it itches. It's drying. And if you screw this application up, you can damn well do it yourself next time."

Karkat sighed and tried not to fidget. "How the hell do you know how to put on make-up in the first place anyway?"

"It's called google and youtube, and having two girlfriends in the theater department helps, too. Get used as a test subject often enough, and you start picking thing up. Shit—forgot the sealer in the bathroom."

As the bed lurched, Karkat dared to open his eyes. At first, his gaze followed his boyfriend's ass as Sollux went in search of whatever the hell he was looking for. Then he caught his reflection in the mirror behind the hotel dresser and reluctantly admitted he looked pretty good. When it had first been suggested to go cosplaying, let alone cosplaying as a troll from a webcomic, he hadn't exactly been thrilled at the prospect. At least he'd gotten away with minimal prep—his hair was already jet black and his character wore long sleeves, so only his face and hands needed to be covered in gray. Sollux, on the other hand, had most of his arms plus his face to paint and had to either dye is hair or wear a wig (he'd chosen to dye it, but the black didn't do much for him). He also had fangs, contact s, and an assortment of other weird adornments to contend with. If anything, the help should have been reversed.

After choking on what felt like a ton of sealer, Karkat did. Or at least, the best he could, which consisted more of handing over objects as they were asked for than actually doing anything. Sollux had been smart enough to do this several times previously, so he had developed an order to work in, as opposed to Karkat, who had decided to wing it. In short order, Sollux was also ready, completely transformed from a lanky, human computer nerd to a gray alien with horns computer nerd. They were only a little for the meet up with their other friends as they did a double check on each other.

"I'm warning you now," Karkat said as he handed over the dual coloured glasses the other was looking for. "Someone other than me tries to kiss you, grab you, or molest you, I'm going to flip my shit."

"At least you'd be in character." Sollux winced as his doubled fangs exacerbated the slight lisp he had naturally and tried to readjust them. "Son of a bitch…"

"Well, now you're in character, too."

"Fuck you, KK."

Karkat grinned. "Maybe when we're in the shower washing this crap off."


	2. Week Two

**8. Shopping**

"Holy fuck, this place is big."

"Don't let go of the basket, KK. I would hate to lose your nubby horns somewhere along the way."

"Suck my creaking bone bulge, asshole. It's a fucking grocery store. It's big, but it can't be that big."

"Big enough to have its own map."

Karkat finally turned to look at his mate, dumbfounded. "Are you shitting me?"

"For once, I kind of wish I was." Sollux handed over the piece of paper that had been in the cart they'd chosen. It was a professional printing of the store's supposed layout, the key for all the different symbols taking up as much space as the actual map itself. At that point, it was severely tempting to turn around and leave. But a troll had his pride and they had both been through far worse than a simple trip to restock the nutrition block. This place was both closer and supposedly cheaper, so sooner or later, they were going to be shopping there. It might as well be now. How difficult could it really be?

Karkat took a hold of the cart (not because he was afraid of getting separated but because he was the leader, damnit) and started down the first aisle.

Three hours later, they reemerged into the warm night, both sylladexes full of groceries and still carrying bags, feeling shell-shocked and more than a little traumatized. If he hadn't been concerned about his ability to get back up, Karkat might have actually fallen to knees and kissed the open ground. Instead, he and Sollux just stared at each other, a strange sense of survivor's guilt surrounding them.

A nervous split tongue flicked over Sollux's lips before he spoke. "So…" he said slowly, like he was testing suddenly unsafe ground. "…online shopping from now on, right?"

Fuck pride in the aural sponge with something hard and sandpapery. "Yeah. This never happened."

**9. Hanging Out with Friends**

Oddly enough, the twice a perigree movie night was propagated by Dave, who insisted he should not be the sole sufferer of John's terrible movie taste. Since Sollux agreed with the sentiment, it became something all of them did whenever their schedules synced up. More often than not, it was John and Karkat actually watching a movie while Dave and Sollux were exiled to the kitchen for excessive unnecessary commentary. Greasy food and alcohol were typically involved. It was actually kind of fun, so it quickly became a habit.

For a while, it was just the four of them. Then, when it seemed like moirallegence issues would force a cancellation, first Aradia and then Gamzee were invited to join. Rose found out about the little get-togethers and simply started showing up, bringing Kanaya with her. After that, it was hard to keep track of how, when, or why everyone else showed up, but show up they did until it was pretty much a free-for-all.

The actual numbers could fluctuate from gathering to gathering, but there was always an open seat waiting for whoever want it. All in all, it was agreed to be one of Strider's better ideas.

**10. With Animal Ears? **

The thing was supposed to be a gift for Nepeta, but it was electronic and allegedly worked off brainwaves, so of course Sollux had to play with it first. Only for a little bit, he promised himself as he glanced over the instructions. He was just going to mess around with it for a little bit to appease his curiosity and that was it.

Six hours later, he was still sitting in front of a mirror, playing with the robotic cat ears when Karkat walked in on him. The ears went down even as Sollux smiled weakly. "Uh…hey, KK. This totally isn't what it looks like."

Red eyes narrowed. Black lips parted twice before closing again without letting loose a single sound. Finally, Karkat shook his head. "You know what? I don't give a flying fuck right now. Just put them back when you're done." Then he turned and walked right back out.

**11. Wearing Kigurumis**

Sollux knocked on the firmly locked door. "KK? Come on, you can't stay in there forever."

"Challenge fucking accepted," came the muffled, stubborn reply.

"Seriously, you can't look any more ridiculous than I do," Sollux coaxed. "I'm dressed as a fucking bee, KK. Complete with wings and antennae. Not to mention there's enough room in here for like four people. I look like a toy someone took all the stuffing out of." There was no response. He knocked again. "Come on. They're not going to start the movie until we're both out there; you know that. So suck it up this time and then we can figure out how to embarrass the hell out of them next time."

He was just about ready to threaten force when he heard some shuffling. "…promise not to laugh."

"Are you actually going to come out?"

"I will if you fucking promise to not laugh, nooksniffer!"

"Okay, okay. Calm down. I promise. I won't laugh." Then he added for good measure: "And I'll zap anyone who does."

There was a little more silence before the lock finally turned and the door opened. Sollux had to bite his lip in order not to smile, coughing to cover up the tickle of laughter rising out of his throat. Karkat glowered from under his happily smiling hood and crossed his arms, showing off the fact the sleeves ended in equally cutesy pincers. How long had it take Strider to find a crab kigurumi in Karkat's size? Probably as long as it had to find something that would fit Sollux's height…

"You promised," the other growled, clearly unamused.

"I did. I'm sorry. I'm really, really sorry." It might have been a bit more believable if he'd been able to keep his voice steady and the grin off his face while he spoke.

There was a bit more glaring, then Karkat sighed and rolled his eyes. "I'm not drunk enough for this shit," he muttered, stalking down the hall towards the kitchen.

**12. Making Out**

For the longest time, they just stared at each other. Karkat sat in Sollux's lap, his hands braced on the other's shoulders. Sollux had his hands resting lightly on Karkat's hips, oddly patient and passive. Both were focused on their counterpart's mouth, yet neither moved.

At length, Karkat snorted. "You know, only we could make a federal issue out of kissing."

"You're the one stalling out," Sollux replied. "There is no issue. Just kiss me." After another beat of hesitance, Karka did, sweeping in and then back out as their lips barely brushed. Sollux grinned a bit. "Come on, KK. You can do better than that."

Karkat scowled and leaned forward again. This time, he actually made extended contact. Their mouths pressed together, soft and innocent until Sollux lifted his head a bit. The move made the contact firm enough that Karkat could feel the other's fangs dig lightly into his lower lip. A shiver worked its way up his spine as a small gasp made them part once more, though he didn't sit back up completely.

"Again." Spoken softly, but with a slightly rough edge that went unnoticed as their mouths connected for a third time. The shiver made a second run along Karkat's vertebrae, pushing him into the kiss rather than away for it like it had before. One of them sighed in contentment while the other made the most embarrassing little moaning sound. Focusing on little details like that didn't seem important at the moment, so Karkat chose to believe Sollux actually made both. What was important was the slightly chapped lips warm against his, the pressure of those sharp fangs rubbing teasingly until his whole mouth felt tingly and hot. He felt slightly dizzy and more than a little warm when he finally pulled away to breathe.

"Again," Sollux whispered, his mouth still close enough that the movement ghosted along Karkat's, who easily fell to the request.

There was no draw back when the need for air resurfaced. Instead, Karkat got brave and let his tongue slide over one of those remarkably appealing fangs. The hands on his hips dug in as Sollux made a breathy noise that neither quite a moan nor a gasp. There wasn't really time to figure out the classification because then there was another tongue rubbing against his. Any thoughts Karkat might have previously held about how gross having someone else invade his mouth were instantly forgotten. That bifurcated muscle slowly slid in and out, almost casually fucking him as it probed every edge. He followed the invader every time it left, shyly at first, then with rapidly growing confidence, until he accidentally pressed against the divergent point of Sollux's split tongue and earned a moan that went straight to the bulge.

Speaking of… Everything between his legs felt wet, loose. The heat and pressure low in his abdomen was caught somewhere between wonderful, uncomfortable, and too much. Definitely too much, so despite his body's insistence for more, Karkat pulled away. Sollux tried to follow after, looking cofused. His face had flushed beautifully and his lips had somehow grown even darker. The psionic light in his eyes had diminished, letting the structure behind it show through. It was incredibly tempting to kiss him again. Before Karkart's will could break, however, Sollux seemed to remember what was happening and why. He took a deep breath and relaxed, leaving himself once more passive under his new matesprit.

The gesture looked simple; Karkat knew better. "You all right?"

"Shouldn't I be asking you that?" was the somewhat unsteady response. "Yeah, I will be," Sollux finally said a bit more seriously. "Just…don't move for a minute, okay?"

"I can get up."

"No." The hands still on Karkat's hips tightened again. "No, it's fine. I'm not asking for anything more. I just need you to stay. Stay with me, KK."

Like he wanted to be anywhere else.

**13. Eating Ice Cream**

"You are truly a freak of nature," Karkat commented as he watched his mate bypass all the other toppings on the counter and instead open one of the cupboards to fish out a bottle of honey.

"Says the one who drowned their chocolate ice cream in chocolate syrup and then coconut flakes." Sollux stuck his tongue out in disgust.

"At least mine tastes like something other than sugar."

"Honey and vanilla have their own tastes."

"Hey, you two," Dave interrupted from the couch. "If you're going to do your weird ass love-hate flippy thing, get the hell out of my kitchen first. Young Egbert here doesn't need to see that shit."

"Oh my god, don't bring me into this!" John said, beating the blond with a pillow. "And it's not your kitchen, it's my kitchen because I'm the one that does all the cooking. And as long as I don't have to see anything, they can fill whatever bucket they want."

"Wow, John. Way to be culturally sensitive there." Karkat flopped onto the couch with a huff. "Can we just start the fucking movie now that everyone's done ruining their desserts? What," he demanded when Sollux leaned in close. After a moment of staring, long fingers curled around Karkat's chin, turning his head slightly as a split tongue licked slowly at the corner of his mouth. "What the fuck?!" he screeched when Sollux stood up with a wide grin.

"Well at least you taste good in chocolate."

"Hey!" John cried. "I said where I can't see it!"

"Shoosh," Dave replied, papping distractedly in his friend's direction. "This is way better than the movie."

**14. Genderswapped (slightly Humanstuck)**

"Holy shit, you've got tits!"

"Announce it to the world, fuckass," Karkat hissed, face red with embarrassment. "The people on the space station didn't hear you the first time!"

"I don't know what you're complaining about," Sollux continued, ignoring the retort. "At least you got something. All I got from the boob fairy was these lovely little bee stings."

"Well she can fucking take them back! They're a pain to deal with; literally and figuratively."

"Is that why you're always so bitchy?"

Karkat glared. "There isn't enough ways out there to say fuck you."

Sollux grinned and made grabby hands. "Can I play with them if I take you up on the offer?"

"Unfuck you! Un! Fuck! You!"

* * *

A/N: The "Shopping" was literally inspired by the grocery store that just opened up in my town. I felt like a tourist in there. Cookies to anyone who gets the references in "Genderswapped."


	3. Week Three

**15. In a Different Clothing Style (Humanstuck)**

Sollux had a bit of a reputation for being lazy. He wore almost exclusively dark tshirts and jeans because they could be worn multiple times and then washed in the same load. He didn't stress about fashion to the point where wearing mismatched socks and shoes was just something people expected from him. He gave the Maryam sisters absolute fits, which was equal parts endearing, hysterical, and embarrassing. But the fact that he didn't care what others thoughts of him was part of the reason Karkat had started falling in love in the first place, so he kept the complaining to a teasing level.

Until his brother, and then his father, caught wind of the fact the youngest Vantas was dating someone and demanded to meet this hitherto unmentioned person. His family wasn't the severely judgmental type. That didn't change the fact that 1) there was a reason Karkat hadn't told them he was dating someone, 2) that someone still hadn't been mentioned as another guy, and 3) Sollux was notoriously unconcerned about anything that wasn't his coding or sex. All in all, it was a disaster just waiting to explode.

"Quit borrowing trouble, KK," Sollux finally told him, using kisses to distract him. "It'll be fine; trust me." Karkat never managed an appropriate rebuttal because by the time the distraction ended, all he could do was hum in contentment.

A date, time, and place were agreed upon, and Karkat sincerely tried not to freak out when Sollux was called into his job the day of. Under threat of death, Sollux promised not to be late. Nor was he, actually beating the Vantas Clan to their dinner reservation. He stood outside, messing around on his phone while he waited, still wearing his faded-to-gray jeans, mismatched shoes, and dual coloured glasses, but augmented to business casual by the clean lines of his nice dress shirt and the dual layered vest he also wore, both of which were well-fitted to his thinner frame. He looked brushed and cleaned and was a million miles from his usual threadbare boxers and worn-a-few-too-many-times stretched out tshirts, but still himself. Leave it to Sollux to pull of such a strong dichotomy like he was born into it.

"Did I know you owned this?" Karkat asked quietly when Sollux leaned in to kiss his cheek.

"Does it look bad?" The slip of his lisp said everything about how nervous he really was.

Karkat said nothing as he turned back to begin introductions, wondering what he'd have to offer as a bribe to make this a permanent part of Sollux's wardrobe.

**16. During Their Morning Ritual(s)**

The yawning usually started at noon, first one, then the other, then back again. Since they were notorious creatures of stubborn habit, both would ignore the sign as the warning it was until a frayed attention span and unfocusing eyes made one of them shut down their computer. Who broke first was typically split pretty evenly between the two of them, though who had gotten up first the previous evening was usually the loser of their unconscious competition. The "winner" would then be used as a pillow, the "loser" curling up against their mate in such a way that pretty much demanded attention. When Karkat was the pillow, Sollux would sprawl out over the couch, leaning back against the other with his head supported on a shoulder, arms crossed, and lightly doze. When Sollux was the pillow, Karkat would squirm between the coder and his precious husktop, lying flushed against him in a loose embrace with the computer balanced on his ass until his mate was done.

Once the electronics were away, they'd shift to a more comfortable version of their current position (Sollux would actively hold Karkat, shifting down so that they were better aligned while Karkat would twist until Sollux's head rested in his lap). There, they were spend the next ten minutes or so enjoying each other's company, sometimes sharing small kisses, sometimes talking about whatever came to mind, but mostly quiet with contentment as they idly petted skin or horns.

Since sleeping on the couch wasn't a recommended experience, one would eventually poke the other in the vague direction of their respite block. Whoever got up first was the one who checked the locks and made sure the blinds were securely closed. The other handled the task of putting away whatever extra food might have been laying about, depositing the dishes into the sink to be washed later, and tossing any major garbage. They'd meet back up in front of the medicine cabinet, Sollux for a preemptive dose of aspirin and Karkat for something that ensured his stomach stayed settled while sleeping, before heading for the recuprecoon. Sollux would already be half stripped by the time they entered their room, ensuring he almost always hit the slime first. He'd catcall and tease as Karkat undressed, get smacked for the effort, then make the appropriately lovey and conciliatory noises as they settled. A smattering of small kisses later, the fight for consciousness would be relinquished, leaving only murmurs of love in the air.

**17. Spooning**

Sollux's preferred position for watching romcoms was to lie out on the couch on his side with Karkt stretched out in front of him, both turned to face the television with his arm curled around his mate's waist. Humans called it spooning which made the red-blood sputter obscenities because it instantly referenced him as the little spoon, but to Sollux, it was godsend. It meant that he was in the perfect position to do a lot of nuzzling and kissing to the other's neck, shoulders, and ear when boredom threatened to split his think-pan, hold more tightly during the weepy parts, and best of all, he could fall asleep without being accused of intentionally missing the "best parts" and therefore be subjected to them again.

**18. Doing Something Together**

Friday nights were theirs. Their schedules varied a bit from each others, so while they could still grab a handful of hours together before or after their responsible adult duties, it wasn't the same as being able to spend the whole night together, even if it was filled with the monotonous chores like cleaning, grocery shopping, and laundry.

For Karkat, the highlight was watching movies as the sun came up. For Sollux, however, it was the shower they shared when they finally, and with great reluctance, pulled themselves from the sopor.

Since they were both still under the effects of the slime, their usual bluster remained minimal, replaced instead with a doe-eyed kind of contentment and the soft throes of truly red romance. Besides when they were pailing, the shower was the only time Sollux touched simply for the sake of touching. He would give his mate plenty of physical attention throughout any given night. But while it was still a display of his possessive streak, it was also played down as a tease, something to ruffle Karkat's attractively spitfire nature in an admittedly backwards sentiment of care. Under the spray of water, the possession was easier to accept, softer than the clawing of fingers or the hard press of one body against another, yet still as poignant. Sollux made it a point to trace every scar he could reach and he loved all the small contented sounds his matesprit made during the process. Karkat would then return the gesture by washing Sollux's hair, using the soap as an excuse to thoroughly massage all the points that usually spawned his still debilitating migraines.

As they continued to wake, the touches would become less innocent as they scrubbed each other down, though it rarely lead to any genetic material swirling down the drain as well (they had to be particularly awake for that to happen). The lingering warmth ensured they remained soft as they dried off and dressed, lovers instead of warriors for a few precious minutes longer.

And it was precisely because of those times in the shower that Sollux went, and stayed, red where Karkat was concerned.

**19. In Formal Wear (AU based upon their God-Tier Class)**

Sollux didn't care much for formal events. He didn't much like crowds, liked having to hob-nob with vapid, nescient, affluent so therefore superior assholes even less, and felt the time and energy that got put into such things was better spent elsewhere, particularly his own. More than anything else, though, he hated having to wear his mage robes.

Considering some of the ridiculously ostentatious and complicated outfits around him, the robes weren't really that bad. The high collar of his shirt sometimes made it feel like he was being strangled while the extra width of the sleeves made it embarrassingly easy to get caught on things. The sheer number of layers could get stifling even in cool weather and trying to get all the lines to lay even and straight was an hourly aggravation. At least he could dress himself without needed a small armada of helpers around. (Unlike Eridan, who had probably needed ten people to get him into whatever the hell he was wearing and looked twice as miserable for having to stand around in it.) The easy solution was to, of course, have something else made that would suffice for these occasions while still being more to his taste. That would also entail Kanaya poking him in places with sharp things he'd rather not be poked in or with. So he stayed with the fussy robes, because really, he didn't have to wear them that often.

Besides, it was always worth it to remind people that he was one of the most powerful psionic mages alive even though his bloodcolour made him a peasant. Especially here and now, during the ceremony that would grant his long-time-friend and more-recently-turned-matesprit the coveted title Knight of Blood. Some questioned the appointment, but it was a position Karkat had more than earned. The black leather and silver half-plate accented with brilliant red, a colour no one would ever mistake, looked gorgeous on him. It reflected his equally bright red eyes, as if proving he'd been born to wear that mantle. The cape was a bit much, long enough to pool on the ground in an appropriately dramatic symbolic gesture while he took his oath and not much else. It wouldn't last for five minutes once the actual ceremony was over, which would likely cause even more of an outrage than a pariah taking the title in the first place.

The sycophants would learn quickly, though, that the colour of their blood no longer guaranteed their exception. And if they didn't, well…then they'd be dead for a very long time.

**20. Dancing**

Psionics might have made a specibus specialization redundant, but Sollux kept his throwing stars around specifically for strifing with Karkat. After all, where was the fun in just steamrolling over an opponent? It wasn't like Karkat came to him when he wanted an easy or even a fair fight anyway. Either he was trying to punish himself for something or he needed an uphill battle to prove something to himself. So Sollux indulged him, surrounded by a small aura of psionically controlled pointed metal. If he was feeling particularly generous, he'd actually step into the fray, physically guiding the stars in their looping, spinning, gracefully shining arcs.

Those fights seemed to bring out the best in Karkat as he twisted through the gaps and deflected strikes, matching his friend step for step, trying to get close enough to effectively use his sickle. There was an ebb and flow to the movement; strike, defend, counterstrike, advance. Block, push, slide, retreat. In the beginning, it had been all about brute force and stamina, with jerky, clearly telegraphed movements and overreaching action. Sweeps of interaction refined the techniques, instincts, and understanding of the other until it was also a type of dance between them, still very much a battle of skills and will, but not longer simply that, either.

Until the day Sollux missed a step and ended up on his back for it, Karkat on top of him with the sharp edge of a sickle to his throat. Breathing hard, both slightly in shock because it never happened this way, Karkat used the opportunity to demand a kiss as his winning prize. The result had Sollux reevaluating exactly how hard he really fought the next time they danced.

**21. Cooking/Baking**

It never failed. He'd be in the kitchen, trying to feed his matesprit's lazy/busy/whatever the excuse was ass when there would suddenly be arms sliding around his waist and slightly chapped lips pressing to the back of his neck. Neither would be all that bad if that where it stopped, but no. One kiss always preceded four or five more, pressed ever so slowly and gently to the back of his spine and shoulder line. Then there was the draw of a warm, wonderfully wet tongue against one of the sensitive spots found by those earlier kisses. If he couldn't keep his mouth shut and made some sort of stupid, needy sound, teeth would then follow. The arms would tighten, keeping them both upright when it felt like his knees would give out, usually a by-product of when the little nips turned into a full-fledged bite. There was nothing to do at that point but hold on for the ride, each strong suck or press of teeth or pass of the tongue only made hot pleasure race from his neck straight to the bulge. Afterwards, there would be a self-indulgent moment of glee for being able to make his mate writhe with just the noise he produced. In the moment, however, feeling the swell of an interested bone bulge against his backside only made everything between his hips loosen more.

None of this would be an issue if they just pailed right there against the counter, either. It was even something of an acknowledged fantasy that had been whispered back and forth more than a couple times when deep in the grip of their hormones. It had yet to happen, though. Just when he would be ready to swallow his pride and beg, the teeth would retract, the body would shift slightly, letting the heavy sexual pressure ease off back into the teasing realm. They would both be dizzy, decently aroused and it wasn't fucking fair because nothing more would happen until the cooking was done.

And then Sollux wondered why he was threatened with the knife Karkat still had in his hand…

* * *

A/N: Headcannon for Sollux fighting with the throwing stars is based off of Dante's use of the Aquila in DMC (the latest game, not the first).

**15. In a Different Clothing Style (Humanstuck)**

Sollux had a bit of a reputation for being lazy. He wore almost exclusively dark tshirts and jeans because they could be worn multiple times and then washed in the same load. He didn't stress about fashion to the point where wearing mismatched socks and shoes was just something people expected from him. He gave the Maryam sisters absolute fits, which was equal parts endearing, hysterical, and embarrassing. But the fact that he didn't care what others thoughts of him was part of the reason Karkat had started falling in love in the first place, so he kept the complaining to a teasing level.

Until his brother, and then his father, caught wind of the fact the youngest Vantas was dating someone and demanded to meet this hitherto unmentioned person. His family wasn't the severely judgmental type. That didn't change the fact that 1) there was a reason Karkat hadn't told them he was dating someone, 2) that someone still hadn't been mentioned as another guy, and 3) Sollux was notoriously unconcerned about anything that wasn't his coding or sex. All in all, it was a disaster just waiting to explode.

"Quit borrowing trouble, KK," Sollux finally told him, using kisses to distract him. "It'll be fine; trust me." Karkat never managed an appropriate rebuttal because by the time the distraction ended, all he could do was hum in contentment.

A date, time, and place were agreed upon, and Karkat sincerely tried not to freak out when Sollux was called into his job the day of. Under threat of death, Sollux promised not to be late. Nor was he, actually beating the Vantas Clan to their dinner reservation. He stood outside, messing around on his phone while he waited, still wearing his faded-to-gray jeans, mismatched shoes, and dual coloured glasses, but augmented to business casual by the clean lines of his nice dress shirt and the dual layered vest he also wore, both of which were well-fitted to his thinner frame. He looked brushed and cleaned and was a million miles from his usual threadbare boxers and worn-a-few-too-many-times stretched out tshirts, but still himself. Leave it to Sollux to pull of such a strong dichotomy like he was born into it.

"Did I know you owned this?" Karkat asked quietly when Sollux leaned in to kiss his cheek.

"Does it look bad?" The slip of his lisp said everything about how nervous he really was.

Karkat said nothing as he turned back to begin introductions, wondering what he'd have to offer as a bribe to make this a permanent part of Sollux's wardrobe.

**16. During Their Morning Ritual(s)**

The yawning usually started at noon, first one, then the other, then back again. Since they were notorious creatures of stubborn habit, both would ignore the sign as the warning it was until a frayed attention span and unfocusing eyes made one of them shut down their computer. Who broke first was typically split pretty evenly between the two of them, though who had gotten up first the previous evening was usually the loser of their unconscious competition. The "winner" would then be used as a pillow, the "loser" curling up against their mate in such a way that pretty much demanded attention. When Karkat was the pillow, Sollux would sprawl out over the couch, leaning back against the other with his head supported on a shoulder, arms crossed, and lightly doze. When Sollux was the pillow, Karkat would squirm between the coder and his precious husktop, lying flushed against him in a loose embrace with the computer balanced on his ass until his mate was done.

Once the electronics were away, they'd shift to a more comfortable version of their current position (Sollux would actively hold Karkat, shifting down so that they were better aligned while Karkat would twist until Sollux's head rested in his lap). There, they were spend the next ten minutes or so enjoying each other's company, sometimes sharing small kisses, sometimes talking about whatever came to mind, but mostly quiet with contentment as they idly petted skin or horns.

Since sleeping on the couch wasn't a recommended experience, one would eventually poke the other in the vague direction of their respite block. Whoever got up first was the one who checked the locks and made sure the blinds were securely closed. The other handled the task of putting away whatever extra food might have been laying about, depositing the dishes into the sink to be washed later, and tossing any major garbage. They'd meet back up in front of the medicine cabinet, Sollux for a preemptive dose of aspirin and Karkat for something that ensured his stomach stayed settled while sleeping, before heading for the recuprecoon. Sollux would already be half stripped by the time they entered their room, ensuring he almost always hit the slime first. He'd catcall and tease as Karkat undressed, get smacked for the effort, then make the appropriately lovey and conciliatory noises as they settled. A smattering of small kisses later, the fight for consciousness would be relinquished, leaving only murmurs of love in the air.

**17. Spooning**

Sollux's preferred position for watching romcoms was to lie out on the couch on his side with Karkt stretched out in front of him, both turned to face the television with his arm curled around his mate's waist. Humans called it spooning which made the red-blood sputter obscenities because it instantly referenced him as the little spoon, but to Sollux, it was godsend. It meant that he was in the perfect position to do a lot of nuzzling and kissing to the other's neck, shoulders, and ear when boredom threatened to split his think-pan, hold more tightly during the weepy parts, and best of all, he could fall asleep without being accused of intentionally missing the "best parts" and therefore be subjected to them again.

**18. Doing Something Together**

Friday nights were theirs. Their schedules varied a bit from each others, so while they could still grab a handful of hours together before or after their responsible adult duties, it wasn't the same as being able to spend the whole night together, even if it was filled with the monotonous chores like cleaning, grocery shopping, and laundry.

For Karkat, the highlight was watching movies as the sun came up. For Sollux, however, it was the shower they shared when they finally, and with great reluctance, pulled themselves from the sopor.

Since they were both still under the effects of the slime, their usual bluster remained minimal, replaced instead with a doe-eyed kind of contentment and the soft throes of truly red romance. Besides when they were pailing, the shower was the only time Sollux touched simply for the sake of touching. He would give his mate plenty of physical attention throughout any given night. But while it was still a display of his possessive streak, it was also played down as a tease, something to ruffle Karkat's attractively spitfire nature in an admittedly backwards sentiment of care. Under the spray of water, the possession was easier to accept, softer than the clawing of fingers or the hard press of one body against another, yet still as poignant. Sollux made it a point to trace every scar he could reach and he loved all the small contented sounds his matesprit made during the process. Karkat would then return the gesture by washing Sollux's hair, using the soap as an excuse to thoroughly massage all the points that usually spawned his still debilitating migraines.

As they continued to wake, the touches would become less innocent as they scrubbed each other down, though it rarely lead to any genetic material swirling down the drain as well (they had to be particularly awake for that to happen). The lingering warmth ensured they remained soft as they dried off and dressed, lovers instead of warriors for a few precious minutes longer.

And it was precisely because of those times in the shower that Sollux went, and stayed, red where Karkat was concerned.

**19. In Formal Wear (AU based upon their God-Tier Class)**

Sollux didn't care much for formal events. He didn't much like crowds, liked having to hob-nob with vapid, nescient, affluent so therefore superior assholes even less, and felt the time and energy that got put into such things was better spent elsewhere, particularly his own. More than anything else, though, he hated having to wear his mage robes.

Considering some of the ridiculously ostentatious and complicated outfits around him, the robes weren't really that bad. The high collar of his shirt sometimes made it feel like he was being strangled while the extra width of the sleeves made it embarrassingly easy to get caught on things. The sheer number of layers could get stifling even in cool weather and trying to get all the lines to lay even and straight was an hourly aggravation. At least he could dress himself without needed a small armada of helpers around. (Unlike Eridan, who had probably needed ten people to get him into whatever the hell he was wearing and looked twice as miserable for having to stand around in it.) The easy solution was to, of course, have something else made that would suffice for these occasions while still being more to his taste. That would also entail Kanaya poking him in places with sharp things he'd rather not be poked in or with. So he stayed with the fussy robes, because really, he didn't have to wear them that often.

Besides, it was always worth it to remind people that he was one of the most powerful psionic mages alive even though his bloodcolour made him a peasant. Especially here and now, during the ceremony that would grant his long-time-friend and more-recently-turned-matesprit the coveted title Knight of Blood. Some questioned the appointment, but it was a position Karkat had more than earned. The black leather and silver half-plate accented with brilliant red, a colour no one would ever mistake, looked gorgeous on him. It reflected his equally bright red eyes, as if proving he'd been born to wear that mantle. The cape was a bit much, long enough to pool on the ground in an appropriately dramatic symbolic gesture while he took his oath and not much else. It wouldn't last for five minutes once the actual ceremony was over, which would likely cause even more of an outrage than a pariah taking the title in the first place.

The sycophants would learn quickly, though, that the colour of their blood no longer guaranteed their exception. And if they didn't, well…then they'd be dead for a very long time.

**20. Dancing**

Psionics might have made a specibus specialization redundant, but Sollux kept his throwing stars around specifically for strifing with Karkat. After all, where was the fun in just steamrolling over an opponent? It wasn't like Karkat came to him when he wanted an easy or even a fair fight anyway. Either he was trying to punish himself for something or he needed an uphill battle to prove something to himself. So Sollux indulged him, surrounded by a small aura of psionically controlled pointed metal. If he was feeling particularly generous, he'd actually step into the fray, physically guiding the stars in their looping, spinning, gracefully shining arcs.

Those fights seemed to bring out the best in Karkat as he twisted through the gaps and deflected strikes, matching his friend step for step, trying to get close enough to effectively use his sickle. There was an ebb and flow to the movement; strike, defend, counterstrike, advance. Block, push, slide, retreat. In the beginning, it had been all about brute force and stamina, with jerky, clearly telegraphed movements and overreaching action. Sweeps of interaction refined the techniques, instincts, and understanding of the other until it was also a type of dance between them, still very much a battle of skills and will, but not longer simply that, either.

Until the day Sollux missed a step and ended up on his back for it, Karkat on top of him with the sharp edge of a sickle to his throat. Breathing hard, both slightly in shock because it never happened this way, Karkat used the opportunity to demand a kiss as his winning prize. The result had Sollux reevaluating exactly how hard he really fought the next time they danced.

**21. Cooking/Baking**

It never failed. He'd be in the kitchen, trying to feed his matesprit's lazy/busy/whatever the excuse was ass when there would suddenly be arms sliding around his waist and slightly chapped lips pressing to the back of his neck. Neither would be all that bad if that where it stopped, but no. One kiss always preceded four or five more, pressed ever so slowly and gently to the back of his spine and shoulder line. Then there was the draw of a warm, wonderfully wet tongue against one of the sensitive spots found by those earlier kisses. If he couldn't keep his mouth shut and made some sort of stupid, needy sound, teeth would then follow. The arms would tighten, keeping them both upright when it felt like his knees would give out, usually a by-product of when the little nips turned into a full-fledged bite. There was nothing to do at that point but hold on for the ride, each strong suck or press of teeth or pass of the tongue only made hot pleasure race from his neck straight to the bulge. Afterwards, there would be a self-indulgent moment of glee for being able to make his mate writhe with just the noise he produced. In the moment, however, feeling the swell of an interested bone bulge against his backside only made everything between his hips loosen more.

None of this would be an issue if they just pailed right there against the counter, either. It was even something of an acknowledged fantasy that had been whispered back and forth more than a couple times when deep in the grip of their hormones. It had yet to happen, though. Just when he would be ready to swallow his pride and beg, the teeth would retract, the body would shift slightly, letting the heavy sexual pressure ease off back into the teasing realm. They would both be dizzy, decently aroused and it wasn't fucking fair because nothing more would happen until the cooking was done.

And then Sollux wondered why he was threatened with the knife Karkat still had in his hand…


	4. Week Four

**22. In Battle, Side-by-Side (No SGRUB)**

The day the culling drones came was one Karkat had planned for. All the school-feeding lessons emphasized that the doomed troll was to accept their fate with dignity and poise, essentially allowing themselves to be taken from their homes and guardians without providing any fuss or defiance. Like hell Karkat would let himself be quietly just enslaved, turned into a pet or toy simply because his blood ran red and hot. He'd survived the brooding caverns, pupation and lusus adoption, a warrior both born and forged. When the drones came, and they would because he was a most rare and precious commodity, he would fight and die like the troll he was.

None of those plans and counter-plans and backup plans had ever included someone else fighting for him. Yet no sooner had his hive's roof been blown in than there was Sollux, hauling the damaged off of Karkat and burying the attacking drones with it. The psionic power crackled in a constant aura around him, leaving scorch marks and the smell of ozone in its wake. The light blazing from his eyes was bright enough to obscure most of his face save for the horror-show of his bared fangs. Anyone with a functioning think-pan would have turned around and left when faced with that display, but the drones just kept coming. Wave after increasing wave, they came, usually with just enough time in between rounds to deal with the worst of their injuries and regain some of their breath before the next strife came through.

It was in one of those lulls that Karkat found himself looking around and wondering if maybe the schoolfeeding had been right. His hive was little more than broken rubble now, all of his possessions either buried, broken, or similarly lost. His lusus wasn't going to survive long in the next altercation, if it even lived long enough to see that fight. Sollux's Biclopes had also shown up to fight and was now severely maimed, one eye lost and an arm messily missing. The hideous red colour that had started this entire mess was smeared everywhere, but the dark gold of his friend's blood was pooled in areas. His nose had been crusted with the stuff when he arrived. Now Sollux had it dripping from his ears and, most worryingly of all, leaking from his eyes beyond the cuts and abrasions he'd earned elsewhere. One death, Karkat's own, had been acceptable. Not three more. Maybe…maybe it was time to—

"Don't you dare give up on me," Sollux rasped, throat no doubt raw from the growling and screaming he'd been doing as he fought. "I didn't come out here to watch you throw your life away."

"Well I'm pretty sure I've already done that," Karkat snapped back, gesturing to the ruin around them.

"It's just stuff, KK. Things can be replaced, no matter how painful it can be to lose them in the first place." He coughed a bit, turning his head to spit more gold on the ground.

The act made something break inside the other. "You're not '_stuff that can be replaced!_' "

"And neither are you." Sollux took a hold of Karkat's horns, shaking him slightly. "Every night, I hear the voices of those who don't survive. Every day, I dream about the ways they fell. So many have come and gone, I can't count how many there's been, but yours is not a voice I'm just going to ignore. What's the point of knowing when someone's about to die if I can't fucking change their circumstance?!"

In the distance, Karkat could hear the thrum of more advancing drones. He ignored it for the moment, trying to decide if it was pity in that rant or something else. "And what happens after you save me?"

The other seemed to catch the underlying question and released his hold, stepping back a respectable distance. He shrugged, expression pinched like he was trying to hide the fact that unasked question hurt. "Whatever you want to happen."

There wasn't enough time left to deal with this. Karkat surged forward, grabbing his friend's shirt and pulling him roughly in for a kiss. "Don't just protect me. You die before we finish this conversation, I will be so pissed at you."

Sollux gave him a lopsided grin. "Don't threaten me with a good time, Vantas."

There was just enough time for another mashing kiss before they fell back-to-back against each other, ready for the next round.

**23. Arguing**

With the way they tended to fight, some considered it scandalous that their relationship was red instead of black. Even among their friends, some were counted as "well-intentioned assholes" by pointing out that all the signs lead in the opposite direction. There was competition in their coding, their gaming, their creative insults, and their constant need to have it just that much worse than the other. On a couple of occasions, they'd been accused of quadrant hopping or smearing since they could go from spitting venom to laughing to that relentless teasing that made up so much of their conversations.

The truth, however, was that others only saw the symptoms and not the cause. Being paranoid for a multitude of reasons meant Karkat was aggressively defensive. Living in near constant pain, not to mention the hard emotional swings that came as a result, left Sollux surly and misanthropic. Those traits made them clash and snarl while the understanding allowed them to let it go just as quickly as it came up. They teased and competed as a way to bring out the confidence, strength and spark that had attracted them to each other. No one else was witness to the nights Sollux broke under the stress of having so much extra noise in his head. No one else was there to hold Karkat together when his self-loathing threatened to tear him apart. No one else would understand the way they understood each other, and thus no one else would ever know.

The arguing had them leaning towards the black, but the understanding would always lead them back around to the red. And all one had to do to prove it was start a fight with one while the other was close by.

**24. Making up afterwards (Humanstuck)**

"You're a real son of a bitch sometimes, you know that?"

"Yeah, I know," Sollux said calmly, sitting stiffly on the edge of the bed. "I'm an asshole on my best days, the Prince of Douches on my worst, and generally just an insufferable prick the rest of the time." He sighed as he ran his hands through his hair. There was no easy way to do this except to jump right in. "Do you at least understand why I'm pissed at you?"

"…because I fucked up the accounts…"

"No, KK. That was a mistake. I don't give a flying fuck about the money. What pisses me off is the fact you felt like you had to hide it from me. That you didn't feel like you could trust me with something as small as a couple bounced checks. If it's a problem now, when shit's not serious, what happens when it is?" He paused, trying to stifle the question he really wanted to ask. "…What did I do that caused you to have so little faith in me…?"

Karkat finally uncurled from the blankets he'd hidden under after their fight. His eyes had gone red from crying, the tear tracks still on his flushed cheeks. He looked miserable and a part of Sollux wanted to lean over and hug him, kiss him, take back all the awful things he'd said and beg for forgiveness. But he didn't move because his boyfriend had yet to say anything. The other knew that the reason his last relationship failed was because his girlfriend had fallen out of love with him and never said anything. At least, not until he'd caught her in bed with her new interest and had two years of apparent misery dumped on his otherwise oblivious head. Secret keeping wasn't something he reacted well to anymore.

"You didn't do anything," Karkat finally said, scrubbing at his face. "I was just…scared. I know you don't like Gamzee and I know didn't think any of this through very well, but I thought I could handle it alone. Your job's been stressing you out so badly recently you keep getting migraines and I—I didn't want to add to it. I thought I was being helpful. Shows what I get for doing my own thinking, huh?"

Now Sollux did reach over, pulling the other in for a kiss that was wet and sweet and one of the best kisses he'd ever had. They were both still really new to this relationship, still really hurt from a past the other only knew snippets of, and they were both awkward idiots on top of it all. But when Karkat kissed him back, none of those things seemed important. Their argument seemed less damning and the wounds it had aggravated scabbed over a bit more.

"I'm sorry," he breathed when the kiss ended. "Romcoms still suck, but everything else, I shouldn't have said."

Karkat smacked his shoulder, but a small smile had crept onto his face nonetheless. "Jerk. You can't even apologize right. It goes like this: I'm sorry for everything I said. And I am. Sorry, that is."

"I know you are. Just—you gotta talk to me, KK. I keep telling you I can't read minds. You have to say something."

"And I still call bullshit."

"You and bullshit seem to have a really close relationship. Should I be worried?" He snickered at the exasperated eye-roll he received before ducking in for another kiss. "I do love you," he said softly.

The smile and affection in it was real, but as usual, all Karkat replied with was, "I know."

**25. Gazing into Each Others' Eyes**

"Your eyes are starting to change colour."

Karkat blinked, drawn out of his fuzzy afterglow by the non sequitur. Sollux was lying next to him, his head propped up on a fist and an intent look on his face—the one that always made it seem like the psionic was looking through him rather than at him, made more cryptic and unnerving by the soft, unconscious smile accompanying it. Instinctively, Karkat ducked his head in embarrassment, turning so that their gazes broke completely.

A physical finger trailed across his chest and up his throat to curl around his chin and turn his head back. "Don't hide from me, KK," he said softly. "You never have to hide from me…"

"I'm not trying to hide," Karkat mumbled back, blush darkening as he tried, and failed, to escape his matepsrit's gaze. "I'm just embarrassed."

"Why?" It was an honest question. There was no mocking or teasing in Sollux's voice; he was genuinely curious. The problem was Karkat didn't have an answer. He didn't know why he found the attention embarrassing, only that he did. That answer was essentially a cop-out, so he struggled for a few minutes, trying to come up with something else.

"Because," he finally strung out, "you can see everything in me, but I can't see anything in you."

This time it was Sollux's turn to blink at him. Then his eyes slid closed and his head dropped. Karkat sat up a bit, ready to ask what the hell was wrong or apologize, whichever was appropriate, but the words died in his throat as Sollux slowly reopened his eyes, completely sans psionic glow.

Somehow, Karkat had always assumed the red and blue light seeped in from around the edges to fill the inner space and obfuscate the normal eye structure. It made sense because the less energy there was, the more of the iris and pupil line could be seen. The opposite was the truth, however. The light came from with the pupil itself, bleeding out from there into the rest of the eye. Each gray iris was also reaching its shifting point, flecks of the truest red and blue blending in with the immerging gold. The thing that truly caught his breath though was how unguarded those eyes truly were without their psionic shield. The love that shone through was overwhelming, bright enough to nearly drown out the threads of fear and anxiety also held within that gaze. He could practically see all the things running through Sollux's think-pan reflected through his gaze.

It was probably a good thing Sollux left his eyes clouded over most of the time. If he didn't, it was possible that Karkat would have spent thier entire matespritship blushing.

**26. Getting Married (Humanstuck)**

"I can't promise that I'll always make you happy, or that I won't make you mad, or that I'll ever stop being an insufferable prick, but I can promise to be honest with you, to help you when you need help, support you when you need support, and love you no matter what."

"I can't promise that I'll never get angry with you, or that I won't piss you off, or that I'll be much else besides an asshole, but I can promise to be there for you, let you feel what you need to feel, hold you together when you can't hold yourself, and love you no matter what."

Karkat managed to keep the tears in check until Sollux slipped the ring on his finger. Then he couldn't stop crying no matter what either of them tried. Somehow he got his ring onto Sollux's hand. For a long time after, they simply sat there, fingers entwined, heads resting together, murmuring love and commitment back and forth as the sun set. To so many other people, the band of metal would never be recognized as meaning anything more. To them, however, it meant they were finally whole.

**27. On One of Their Birthdays**

In general, Karkat preferred staying in and watching movies on his wiggling day. It never failed that something always went catastrophically wrong if he left his hive, so he purposefully planned on doing nothing more than seeing how much of his movie collection he could get through between waking and going back to sleep. If he was truthful with himself, his wiggling day was simply depressing; a reminder of too many things gone wrong in sweeps past. Sollux made a show of understand by leaving Karkat to his movies. The only thing that changed when they became matesprits was that a message would be left taped to the television, reading: "I'm glad you're here."

**28. Doing Something Ridiculous (Humanstuck)**

"Why am I doing this?" Karkat asked again.

"Because you pity the fuck out of me," Sollux replied, adjusting a strap that was digging into his ankle. "And because I promised you the best night of sex in your life after this."

"If we don't end up in traction first," Karkat grumbled back, wobbling unsteadily on the four inch heels he'd been given. Seriously, how did women stay upright in these things? And while he might have appreciated the things the fishnet stockings were doing to his boyfriend's legs in a different setting, four obvious men dressing in women's clothing about a size too small for any of them seemed like a stupid way to promote gender equality.

"It's all in the swish of your hips." Dave then demonstrated, strutting by like he'd been born in the stilettos he'd chosen.

"Just keep leanin' forward, Kar," Eridan explained, "and walk on the ball of yer foot. Gravity will take care of the rest."

"I'm not asking how you know that," was the flat reply as Karkat had his head turned so that Strider could attempt to put make-up on him. "Okay, I get the whole shoe thing, but why do I need to look like an 80's drag queen on top of that?"

"Anything worth doing should be overdone," Dave claimed airily, "especially being fabulous in a pair of heels."

**29. Doing Something Sweet**

Though he claimed to hate them, Karkat knew that Sollux paid at least some attention to the romcoms they watched. He knew this because whenever he was having a particularly bad day (week/month/sweep), Sollux would leave random flowers laying around with little notes attached to them, quoting some of his favorite lines.

**30. Doing Something Hot**

Sollux groaned. He was tired, covered in sweat, and his whole body ached in ways he didn't know was possible. And it would be hours still until he'd be finished for good. "KK…" he whined.

"If you ever want to get laid again, you will shut the fuck up and keep pumping those bellows," Karkat scolded, poking at the coals in the forge, trying to make an even bed to stick his half-finished blade back into. "You broke my sickle, so you can damn well help me make a new one."

"It was an _accident_…" Karkat just glared at him until Sollux started manhandling the large bellows again.

* * *

Thank you everyone who's been keeping up with this.


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